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Recipes

Everyone has been asking me for a recipe for bone broth, especially since my last post about Adrenal Fatigue.

Here is one from Epicurious. We modified it to make it easier for you!

Nourish yourself and enjoy!

Bone Broth Recipe:

YIELD: Makes about 8 cups of broth, depending on cooking time

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 9 to 24 hours

INGREDIENTS

4 pounds beef bones, preferably a mix of marrow bones and bones with a little meat on them, such as oxtail, short ribs, or knuckle bones (cut in half by a butcher)

2 medium unpeeled carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, quartered

1 garlic head, halved crosswise

2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Special equipment:

6-quart (or larger) stockpot or a large slow cooker

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place beef bones, carrots, onion, and garlic on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Toss the contents of the pan and continue to roast until deeply browned, about 20 minutes more.

Fill a large (at least 6-quart) stockpot with 12 cups of water (preferably filtered) . Add celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, and vinegar. Scrape the roasted bones and vegetables into the pot along with any juices. Add more water if necessary to cover bones and vegetables.

Cover the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook with lid slightly ajar, skimming foam and excess fat occasionally, for at least 8 but up to 24 hours on the stovetop. The longer you simmer it, the better your broth will be. Add more water if necessary to ensure bones and vegetables are fully submerged. Alternately, you can cook the broth in a slow cooker on low for the same amount of time.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly. Strain broth using a fine-mesh sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Let continue to cool until barely warm, then refrigerate in smaller containers overnight. Remove solidified fat from the top of the chilled broth.

Do Ahead: Broth can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

Early autumn rain cleanses away smeared heat.
A grateful traveler takes in crystal skies and crisp air
Distant mountains seem more vast and blue,
And the sound of the waterfall grows more loud. Cleansing, from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, by Deng Ming-Dao

When I went back east to visit my daughter in upstate New York, I got to experience the true crispness of autumn. It felt so good! On my return, I was actually disappointed that it was warm here. Now we are starting to get these fall cleansing rains. Just as this was happening, I happened to open to this page of the daily meditations in 365 Tao.

The commentary goes on to remind us that after the busy-ness of summer, it is now time to slow down:

Autumn is coming. The air becomes fresh and crisp. The fruits of summer are being harvested; the heat of labor is beginning to cool. There is a more relaxed feeling in the air: The fiery activity of summer is replaced by the celebrations of autumn.

In spring, we all had to struggle to make the ascendancy of the year. In summer, we reveled in the glory of fire and vigor. Now, we can begin to let things relax. Just as the pumpkins are beginning to fill out, the squash is hanging heavy and golden on the vines, and the leaves are starting to hint of warm colors, so too can we look forward to mellowness and quietness.

This is the time for harvest. But every planting and growing season also leaves behind excess and inevitable waste. The dust of summer still lingers. The stubble in the fields will have to be burned. We must harvest fully and then clean up fully. Harvest is also the time of cleansing and taking stock.

Many of my clients right now are complaining about how tired they are. I can’t emphasis enough how, after this very active time of summer, we now must slow down and rest. As the passage mentions, it is also a time to cleanse.

In the fall and winter, when Yang is declining, it is better to cleanse using clear broths of root vegetables and mushrooms. Here’s a simple recipe I once found:

Broth with root vegetables and mushrooms

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup carrots, thinly sliced

1 ½ inch piece of ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced

2 T extra virgin oliv oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups vegetable stock or water

2 T light miso or to taste

2 scallions, chopped

In a heavy pot over medium heat, sauté shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and ginger in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté one minute. Add vegetable broth or water and simmer covered for another 5 minutes or until carrots are tender. Turn off heat. Dissolve miso in a small amount of hot broth and stir into soup. Add scallions and cover. Let stand 2 minutes, and serve. For a hardier soup, and some additional cleansing properties, you can add things like burdock root, cabbage, parsnips, and red onions, and simmer a little longer than 5 minutes.

I don’t recommend fasting for too long based on Chinese Medicine principles, but when cleansing, I keep the food really simple: whole grains, steamed vegetables and fish and tofu. I have a lot of pineapple, which is anti-inflammatory, either on its own, or in smoothies with a soy/green protein powder. Spirulina and flax or fish oils are also good to add in. I try to eat lots of greens to alkalize and cool the body.

Green Soup

A great way to alkalize and get your greens chock full of vitamins and minerals is this cleansing/anti-inflammatory Green Soup:

1 bunch broccoli, broken into small flowerets

1 bunch spinach, already washed makes it easier

Vegetable broth

1 Avocado

1 tsp Turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

I prefer to use all organic ingredients. Blend the broccoli flowerets and spinach a little at a time in a blender with vegetable broth. I just add a handful at a time, pour in some broth, blend, add more, until it’s all blended, adding enough broth so it blends well, and is a nice “pureed soup” consistency. At the end, add the avocado. Pour the mixture into a pan, and warm very gently, do not boil, just warm long enough to heat through. Add 1 tsp turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. Some people like to add other spices or Worchester sauce, but I like it simple. Enjoy and feel healthy!!!

Fall is a time of declining Yang energy, and the season of the Lungs. As such, it is a time when Asthma and allergies can be aggravated, when we are more likely to get colds and flus, and also sadness and grief, which are associated with the lungs. It is therefore very important to pay special attention to these at this time of year. For this reason, I have stocked up on all my cold, flu, and lung formulas. In addition, it’s time to start slowing down our energies, getting ready for turning inward in the winter. It’s also a good time to start eating root vegetables and nourishing stews.

Here is one of my specialties for autumn cooking: a recipe for a great curried squash soup to get you going!. My family always asks for it around this time of year. The squash is a vegetable that is storing a lot of Qi and Yang energy, good for helping us transition at this time of year and store our own energies inside. The mushrooms help nourish the lungs and boost the immune system, especially if you use something like shitake or maitake. There are lots of nice mushrooms out there these days. Here’s a great site where you can learn more about Chinese Medicinal cooking.

Melt the butter in a large pan, big enough to hold all the soup later.

Sautee onion for a few minutes, then add the ginger, cumin, and turmeric.

Sautee a little more until it is a nice mash, then add the mushrooms.

Sautee until mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

When the squash is done, scoop out the seeds and discard, then scoop the cooked squash into a blender, a little at a time, alternating with chicken broth.

Continue adding squash and a little chicken broth until all the squash is blended and you have a nice consistency. The exact amount of broth used will depend on how big the squash is, and also your personal preference.

Transfer the squash and broth mixture into the pan with the sauteed mushrooms, onions, and spices. Stir to mix, scraping up all the yummy stuff from the bottom. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Continue to cook on low for about another 30 minutes to mix flavors. Taste to correct seasoning.

Oh, how about a nice Spring recipe, easy and healthy, cooling for the heat that flares as Spring arises and everything blooms, bursts out with Yang (warming) energy:

2 lbs spinach, washed and coarsely chopped

1 onion, chopped

olive oil

1 lb. boneless filets of white fish of your choice, Sole or Tilapia work well

1 large tomato

(optional: grated Romano or Parmesan cheese)

Salt, Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Rinse the fish and pat dry.

Saute onion in olive oil for a minute or two, then add spinach a little at a time. Continue to saute until spinac is wilted. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper if desired. Hold the pan over the sink, and squeeze off as much water as possible.

In a 9X13 baking dish (I prefer glass or ceramic for this), put the sauteed spinach and onions as a layer on the bottom. Spread the filets of fish on top of that, slightly overlapping each other, in a nice array down the center. Slice the tomato medium-thin, and layer the tomato slices on top of the fish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you like, you can spread about a quarter cup of Romano or Parmesan cheese on top of it all, but it’s also great without it if you want to go dairy-free.

Bake for 20 -30 min until fish is done, when a sharp knife inserts smoothly through.

About Rhoda

Rhoda Climenhaga has studied Chinese medicine for nearly twenty years. She has practiced herbal medicine for fifteen years, and acupuncture for ten years. She focuses on womens health, chronic pain and general health and well being. She practices in Oakland, California